I found a very nice Commodore Speedwriter this weekend in an 'antique' store. I really like it's unabashed battleship-grey utilitarian look. This has to date from the 50s (from what I have read, Commodore had pretty well given up typewriter manufacture by 1960) and I think this dating is bolstered by the machine's looks -- it has to date from a period where a militaristic/industrial aesthetic could still claim some kind of foothold in fashion. Like my other portable Commodore, this one is a real pleasure to type with: the key stroke action is very easy (no need for any touch control); the carriage return is smooth; caps are achieved with a basket shift. The margin settings are 'hidden' (via what is sometimes called a 'magic margin' mechanism). My only quibble is that it will occasionally express some enthusiasm for word spacing and provide one in the middle of a word. However, the more I type with it the less it is doing, so I'm hoping this feature will 'self correct'. I have yet to do any cleaning to this machine so that may also help. (ps. it came with a surprisingly good ribbon!)

We have a shop in this area associated with the local junk tip - today I found a wide-carriage portable, allowing A4 landscape, etc., little used and in a very strong plastic case.  Has tab and multi-space, and first typing test are clean and clear!  $5!  Has an adjuster marked 'H - L', but have not worked out what that does yet.

The brand seems to be 'ALL', which is new to me, and it looks 1980s.  The only fault I've found so far is that the shift key places the capitals too low on the baseline - should be an easy fix once I have time to take the base off and look inside; suspect that a little packer somewhere will do the trick, preventing the shift key being pressed down too far .  Shall post a picture soon.

ETA
Picture up now in 'Typefaces' thread.  Boring looking machine, and clearly made to a price, but seems to be working reasonably well.  Can find no mention of this brand anywhere, perhaps some re-badged model from another maker.  Not one the collectors are going to fight over, I guess, but I'll keep it because of it's wide carriage.

Last edited by beak (11-4-2013 06:59:22)

I stick to PB out of habit, but I agree, its useablity has gone down considerably in the past few months. If I could move all my photographs elsewhere, I would have done so ages ago. 

Stevetype33 wrote:

Valiant wrote:

I found a very nice Commodore Speedwriter this weekend in an 'antique' store. I really like it's unabashed battleship-grey utilitarian look.

I'm surprised by just how much I like this machine. The Speedwriter's colour complements its style perfectly.

I was strictly a pre-War man until recently, but I've developed a real fondness for these 50s/60s typers. 

I've been on a bit of an eBay spree recently and have a few acquisitions coming my way that include some later models...

What have you bought, and will you be posting them to the forum so we can all have a look?
 

Valiant wrote:

What have you bought, and will you be posting them to the forum so we can all have a look?
 

An Imperial Safari, an Imperial Good Companion (c. 1935) and an Optima. I just hope they all arrive in one piece...

Pictures will follow.